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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-03-25 adj52 March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 1) An adjourned meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Albemarle County, Virginia, was held on March 25, 1988, at 1:00 P.M., Meeting Room 7, County Office Building, McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. This meeting was adjourned from March 23, 1988. PRESENT: Messrs. Edward H. Bain, Jr., F. R. Bowie, C. Timothy Lindstrom (arrived at 1:25 P.M.), Walter F. Perkins and Peter T. Way. ABSENT: MrsmPatricia H. Cooke, OFFICERS PRESENT: County Executive, Guy B. Agnor, Jr.; Deputy County Executives Ray B. Jones and Robert W. Tucker, Jr.; and Administrative Assis- tant, Roxanne White. Agenda Item No. 1. The meeting was called to order at 1:25 P.M. by the Chairman, Mr. Way. Agenda Item No. 2. Pledge of Allegiance. Agenda Item No. 3. Moment of Silence. Agenda Item No. 4. Work Session: 1988-89 County Budget: School Division, N. Andrew Overstreet. Requested $49,744,957; Recom- mended $47,524,593. Mr. Overstreet presented an overview of the School Board's budget to the Board. He said the State continues~to increase its mandates and requirements in a time when there is little increase in State funding. The uncertainty in State revenues caused a time~crunch as the General Assembly and the Governor wrestled with the issues in Richmond. He appreciates the assistance of the County Executive and staff in accommodating the School Board's need for time in developing its budget.~ As proposed by the School Board, the school budget a~ounts to $49,709,000, an increase of 13.8 percent. Revenues, draw~ largely from debt service and federal funds, amount to $3.9 million. Statei~id is $16.2 mil- lion, leaving a requirement of $29.5 million in local fun~s. Changes in revenues which affect the FY 88-89 budget ~.iinclude an increase of only $198,000 next year, despite increases in both State mandates and enrollments. Mr. Overstreet said this meant local aid must increase by $5.5 million. He said that carryover money from last year was ~sed in this year's budget. He explained what was creating such significant increases in the budget. The first factor, he said, is the growth in enrollment. Ha estimated that there will be at least 225 new students enrolled in 1988. :~ While 'high schools may be declining in enrollment, middle schools are beginning to feel the surge which occurred a few years ago in elementary enrollment, a~d enrollment in elementary schools will continue to rise throughout the early 1990's. A second factor contributing toward the budget increate is state and local commitments. The state continues to mandate teacher!salary increases; next year the state expects the County to increase salarie~ by 7.3 percent. He said the School Board has tried to control such demands~by using focus areas for those initiatives and responding to growth and state mandates as effectively as they can. Growth and mandates are hard to ~redict. The School Board had three budget sessions and reduced $4.3 million o,f original requests. In spite of this intensive effort to reduce the budget, th~ School Board still found itself unable to address the needs and requirements qf the school system with the money available. He understands the difficulty o~ responding to such a large request for revenues. However, he said, not having the money will not erase the need, the increased enrollment or the state mandates. He said he applied a "reasonableness test" to the 13.8: percent increase in funding sought by the School Board. The 2.2 percent inC!rease in enrollment per year accounts for $853,000. Inflation is nearly five ~ercent, accounting for about $1.9 million. State demands, particularly the iffcrease in teachers' salaries, and other local commitments account for about $2.~ million, or 5.9 percent. Meeting the safety needs, which primarily concern buses, keeping March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting)~ (Page 2) 53 them in safe running order and expanding the~fleet to handle the increased enrollment, account for a little over one-half percent. Other improvements come to less than one percent. This adds up to 13.8 percent. When he accepted the appointment of Superintendent in 1985, Mr. Overstreet said, he was told to improve the performance of teachers, the opportunities for teachers, and the learning of students, and the educational system of Albemarle. This budget proposal represents his and the School Board's response to this challenge. Mr. Overstreet then presented an analysis of new requests approved by the School Board. Mr. Lindstrom asked for a copy of the requests totaling $4.3 million that the School Board had cut from its budget. Mr. Overstreet said he would provide that information. He said the new requests had been grouped into four categories: those resulting from state or local directives; those relating to safety; those relating to system growth (driven, in a large part, by enrollment); and special programs and student learning. Beginning with the first group, he said that the increase in teachers' salaries made up the largest part of increases in this group. The School Board has worked hard to initiate a system of profession compensation. He thinks that progress has been made. He directed the attention of the Board to the proposed career path model and reviewed the program. In the first year of operation, the County school system was able to reduce its attrition rate by 50 percent. He proposed full implementation of the career path plan in 1988-89. The program provides three career Paths; a total of 348 teachers have applied for one of these options. Budget provisions were made to fund these stipends. The current incentive program was developed in response to a directive to differentiate compensation levels for teachers based on perfor- mance and other criteria and to provide a prHfessional plan to attract and keep the most competent educators in the Coun~ty. Mr. Way asked what the rationale for increasing the base was. He thought this was to be kept at the same level for several years. Mr. Overstreet said what he believed was to be kept level were the stipends and the program itself, rather than trying this approach for ~two years and then trying some- thing else. He said the program was not intended to save money. Instead, he said the Board asked the School Board to present a five-year projection based on a three and one-half percent per annum inc~rease on the base to account for cost of living increases, not merit or performance. The School Board esti- mated that it would take an eleven percent i~crease in this year's budget, given the number of teachers eligible for th~ program. This budget proposes an eight percent average increase for teachems, three percent less than the earlier estimate. One of the reasons for thi!s decrease is that this later estimate is based on a two and one-half percent increase to the base. The program is voluntary. For teachers who choos~ not to participate, the base salary must still be competitive and help teachers meet the rising cost of living. .. Mr. Lindstrom asked what Mr. Overstreet ~ould tell the Board about the market for teachers that might justify an increase to the base salary. Mr. Overstreet replied that most school systems wpuld make an effort to meet the 7.3 percent increase in teachers' salaries required by the State. He said many localities will use most of this to increase the base salary. In Albemarle, however, the School Board has chosen to distribute the increase throughout the career plan. As the starting salaries for teachers begin to rise all over the State, it will become more 9nd more difficult for the County to attract the best and the brightest of the ~ew teachers. The City has already approved an entry level salary of $203900 for 1988-89. He said that adding the five percent VSRS contribution pai~ by the County for the employee would bring salaries for teachers in the County closer to those in the City. Mr. Lindstrom asked if the retirement benefit!ibrought County teachers closer with or without the extra $500 added to the base salary. Mr. Overstreet responded "without". He went on to say that ~3 percent of the schools in the State now pays the VSRS contribution, so this~alone would not make the County competitive state-wide. Mr. Lindstrom asked if the present base salary of $20,000, plus the five percent retirement ben,fit, would make the County equivalent to the City in terms of attractingi, teachers. Mr. Overstreet replied "roughly". Mr. Lindstrom then asked ~f the increase in base salary would give the County a significant advantageiover the City. Mr. Overstreet 54 March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 3) replied "yes", although he emphasized that the City should not be considered the County's chief competitor. Mr. Lindstrom asked how the County's scale compared with that of Charlottesville in terms of how far a teacher could go. Dr. Carole Hastings replied that the teachers' salaries in the City are higher at the top of the scale. She said the City's maximum base salary was about $6000 higher than that of the County. She said that the City does not have the career ladder plan. Mr. Lindstrom asked how quickly teachers move through the career ladder. Next year, Dr. Hastings answered, the maximum level will be 17 years of experience. She said that of the City went up to 20 years of experience. Mr. Bain said he had heard that the City had cut this down to about twelve years this year. Mr. Overstreet then described other state and local directives which were affecting the 1988-89 school budget: the staff development program, which is a training program for all classified personnel and Alternative Education programs, which will be brought together and housed in one place at Murray School; some increases in Gifted and Talented and vocational programs; and, increases in salaries for classified personnel. He then talked about the safety area and the expenses which result from the buses. He said the school system normally replaces 15 buses a year. This year, because of increases in the load and the fleet, the~School Board decided to begin replacing 17 buses per year. The School Board also decided to add three buses for Special Education. In addition to safety concerns and state and local directives, the growth in enrollment influenced the schools budget. To accommodate the rising enrollment, Mr. Overstreet said, the School Board included in its budget positions for 9.9 new teachers at the Elementary and Midd!e School level. The most expensive result of the growth in enrollment will bei+ithe purchase, setting up and furnishing of several new trailers to supplement the class- rooms. To improve student learning, Mr. Overstreet said the Mchool Board had included the following in its budget: additions for the fine arts program; replacing the uniforms of school bands (would supply about! half the money needed to replace the uniforms; the other half must come fCom booster groups); expand the Project Excellence programs which encourages teachers to make grant proposals and receive money directly for special projects~o enhance the learning of their students; curriculum mapping; and, the 9arly Childhood Instruction program, which would provide teachers' aids fQr the early child- hood programs in grades K-1. This program would provide for about forty half-time positions. Mr. Overstreet said the School Board has identified education in early childhood as an area worthy of special"attention, based on the belief that prevention is less expensive than cure. Mr. Bowie asked about the Childhood Instruction Program. What was the difference between the first figure, $140, and the second,~ii $207? Mr. Overstreet replied that the first figure represented the ~sic cost, the second column included all the benefits. Mr. Bain asked how many children were in the Alternat~ive Education Program. Dr. John English replied there were about fifty or sixty children and next year there may be as many as seventy. Mr. Bain a~ked if the School Board had considered keeping the program in each school rather than giving it its own facility. Mr. Overstreet said the students in the,iprogram benefited much more from a completely separate environment. They simply cannot handle the environment in a regular high school and tend to impai~ the education of other students. Mr. Perkins said last year's projections showed the c~reer incentive plan would be less expensive over four years than the State mandated program. The second year was supposed to cost $1.3 million. He said no~ the School Board is talking about spending nearly $3 million, including ben~fits. He asked what would happen in the third and fourth years if they were this far off the budget already. Mr. Overstreet said he did not remember t~e exact amount, but that those estimates were based on the number of teachers ~n the program then and now there are more teachers who wish to participate. March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 4) Mr. Overstreet showed the changes in the budget revised last November, Budget No.2, which is the budget the schools are operating under this year, and the budget which the School Board has approved for FY 88-89. He pointed to the ten percent increase in teachers's salaries and said that eight percent is due to the salary increase and two percent is due to new positions. In 1986-87, there were 641 positions; this year, the School Board had expected the usUal teacher attrition to pay for the new positions needed this year. Attrition did not occur as expected. 13.1 positions were added after the year started as a response to unexpected enrollment increases mostly in the elemen- tary schools. The new positions asked for next year represent a net of 4.9. The high schOols are declining by 11 positions in accordance with the School Board guidelines. Total new teaching positions since the 1986-87 budget equals 28.6. He said that the budget for para-professionals has also increased due to the forty part-time positions as well as a number of other new full-time equivalent aids. This increase also includes a five percent salary increase plus equity adjustments. The bus driver account is up 12.6 percent due to nine new positions and the five percent increase. Mr. Overstreet said that these new positions represented brand new bus runs: six for regular schools and nine for special education. Mr. Bain asked why so many new buses were needed for special education: had the number~ of children in the program increased that dramatically or was special e~ucation being taught at several different locations? Mr. Papenfuse replied ~hat it was a combination of these reasons. Mr. Way asked Mr. Overstreet about the Hisiting teachers. He had under- stood that there was to be a reduction in their salaries and that one of these teachers was leaving. Yet, he noticed that ~his category has risen 23 percent and he would like to know why. Mr. Overstreet said that the pay classifica- tion study had not affected the salaries of ~hose people presently employed as visiting teachers, or school social workers, as they are called now. Mr. Overstreet said one position had been added to the budget, and one position which was held only 50 percent of the time in 1987-88 would be held full-time in 1988-89. Mr. Way asked about the 32.7 percent inq~ease in salary for school supervisors. Mr. Overstreet said this increase reflected salary increases. Mr. Perkins said one way the School Board sold the career incentive plan was the savings it would bring the County by allowing teachers to take on the work of directors and supervisors. He asked Mr. OVerstreet if there had been any savings yet as a result of this. Mr. Overst~et replied "yes" with a few qualifications. The program is just beginning; teachers are just beginning to enter the career ladder. He thinks it will take a few years to find out who can do what. Although teachers will take on some administrative work, he said, the School Board wants to keep the best teachers in the classroom. Mr. Lindstrom and Mr. Bain expressed concern that the review of the School Board budget was too pressed for time to be effective. After some discussion the Board reached a consensus to allow members more time to review the budget: another work session was scheduled, for 1:00 P.M. April 6, 1988. The public hearing on the budget would be postponed to April 27, 1988, and the new budget adopted on May 4, 1988. Mr. Bowie asked why there was such an increase in the use of substitute teachers if the career ladder is supposedly i~creasing the teacher's presence in the classroom. He would like an answer to!this at the next working ses- sion. Mr. Lindstrom explained why he wished to examine the School Board budget so closely after so much work had already gone into it. He compared it with the budget for FY 1986-87. The inflation rate has been relatively low, a little over 4.4 percent increase in student enrollment, yet the School Board budget has increased by 31.3 percent. By contrast, the General Government budget has increased by only 3.2 percent during the same time. In 1986-87, $3,737 was spent per student; the proposed budget allows $4,701, a 25 percent increase. He said inflation cannot be responsible for this increase. He feels the Board should examine this budget closely to see why the increases in the budget seem out of line with the increases in inflation and enrollment. March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 5) Mr. Bowie said that most of the citizens who spoke at the public hearing March 23, 1988, addressed five percent of the school budget, that percentage of funds which went directly to individual schools. He is concerned about the remaining 95 percent. Mr. Way said he, too, felt that Board members needed more time to review the budget proposed by the School Board. He asked if Dr. Charles Tolbert wished to address the Board. Dr. Tolbert said he had made a list of items the School Board considered important: funds for a copying machine, because the ditto machine produced illegible copies; and increasing the base pay because he doesn't want infla- tion to eat away at it, since teachers participating in this plan are held at this salary for three years. He has asked that all the administrators be removed from the teachers' pay scale and placed on the administrators' pay scale. Another item he believed to be critical is improving summer school. There are also special improvement projects going on in both high schools, and in one middle school, and Yancey elementary school. He believes these are important and should be funded. The initiative for the band uniforms came, not from the School Board, but from the parents. He would like to keep this in the budget as well. Mr. Lindstrom said if the Board were to fund the proposed school budget out of real estate taxes, it would take between an eight to ten cents increase in the tax rate. He said he has, in the past, supported an increase in the tax rate, feeling such an increase was necessary to fund education. However, there are a lot of questions he needs answers to before h~ could think of supporting such a big jump in the tax rate. He wants to make sure the money is really needed before he supports the tax increase. ~ The next discussion concerning the School Board budget will be held after the Board has received the information requested during t~is meeting. (Note: The Board recessed at 2:59 P.M. and reconven~!d at 3:11 P.M.) The Chairman suggested that the Board consider the b~dget for the Social Services group next in order to save time. Social Services, ~[arem Morris. Virgimia Public Assistance - Administra- tion. Rmquested $1,213,794; Recommended $1,168,480. Mr. Tucker said the overall increase of $143,429 (14 ipercent) reflects a 6.6 percent increase in operating costs and a 15 percent ihcrease in personnel costs due to two new recommended positions, as well as significant salary increases brought about by reclassification. Other significant increases and decreases include: an increase of $800 (200 percent) in i~egal services due to the cost of obtaining birth certificates and other documents related to eligibility and adoption; an increase of $1340 (18 percen&{) in postage due to the addition of two new State programs; a decrease of $11~O (23 percent) in public liability insurance due to overestimation last yea~l an increase of $600 (24 percent) in fuel and lubricants based on actual ~sage; an increase of $1560 (524 percent) to replace a filing cabinet, chairs, ~Ookcase and calcula- tor; and, an increase of $5220 (10.5 percent) in rental cOlsts for space in the County Office Building. Several new programs are proposed which include a treatment group for child sexual abuse offenders at a cost of $7000 and desig~iand printing of a new brochure for child and adult protective services ($400~. The County Executive recommends funding for one socia~ worker and one social work supervisor due to state mandated services and increased caseloads Not recommended for funding are one replacement vehicle ($~700) that has not reached 100,000 miles, and one computer, printer and software ($5610). Also not recommended for funding is a requested increase in travel ($2956). The request for a third position, a Child Protective Services ~orker, is also not recommended at this time. March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 6) Virginia Public Assistance Payments. Requested $636,313; Recommended $627,813. Mr. Tucker said the overall increase of $133,413 (27 percent) is reflected in the following significant increases and decreases: a new cate- gory of $5000 to be funded locally to pay transportation for clients (probably with Jefferson Area United Transportation) rather than using the time of social workers; an increase of $7800 in grants to the disabled to provide partial payment to Homes for Adults for shelter, food and personal care to the disabled (local share 20 percent); an increase of $80,000 (145 percent) in foster care services due to decreasing Title XX funds for this service and a 61 percent increase in the number of children brought into foster care since FY 86-87 (local share 50 percent); an increase of $32,313 (38.7 percent) in companion services because five people were added and rates increased from $3.20 to $3.35 per hour (local share 88 percent); an increase of $15,000 (60 percent) to subsidize low-income working parents with day-care payments, due to greater local demand for day-care services and anticipated increase in state funding (local share 10 percent); and, an increase of $6200 (33 percent) in provider training reflects a $4200 increase to train additional foster care parents and $2000 to train day-care providers through a contract with CVCDA (local share 25 percent). The County Executive recommends funding 'at the requested level, except for a combined reduction of $8500 in GeneralRelief, Aid to Dependent Chil- dren, Emergency Assistance and Refugee Resettlement based on actual usage of these programs. Mr. Way asked Ms. Morris if Social Servites had to request more money from the State in the middle of the past fiscal year for the foster care program. She replied "yes". Mr. Agnor said i~hat that $55,000 was originally budgeted for foster care and then this was reVised to $91,000. He said next year, the the cost of foster care would rise to $135,000. Mr. Way said a 61 percent increase in the cost of foster care was appalling. Mr. Bain asked for the percentage of decrease in federal fundingl for Title XX. Ms. Morris said since 1981-82, there had been about a 39 perdent decrease. Food St~p Program. Requested $223,120; Recommended $221,870. Mr. Tucker said the overall increase of 9.7 percept reflects a 9.4 percent increase in personnel costs due to reclassification and an 11 percent increase in operating costs. Other significant increases and decreases include: a decrease of $963 (81 percent) in maintenance~contracts when the postage machine was removed from the contract; an increase of $1000 (14 percent) in rental costs for County Office Building space; and, an increase of $1440 to replace one desk, chair and bookshelf. The County Executive recommends funding at requested level except for a $250 reduction in travel and $1000 in overtime based on actual usage. ]~ploymeat Services Program. Requested $48,884; Recommended $48,734. Mr. Tucker said the overall budget increase of $8986 (22.5 percent) reflects a $6792 (29 percent) increase in personnel costs due to reclassification and a 14 percent increase in operating costs. Othe~ significant increases and decreases include: an increase of $1800 (14 ~ercent) in day-care services, due to a projected rate increase mandated by ~he State; and, an increase of $300 (15 percent) to pay for gas, uniforms, t~aining needs, etc., needed by ADC clients for employment, due to higher vendor costs. The County Executive recommends funding as requested. Fuel Assistance Program. Requested $37,971; Recommended $37,971. Mr. Tucker said the overall budget increase of 2.6 percent reflects a 1.5 percent increase in personnel costs and an eight percent increase in operating costs. The increase reflects a $100 increase in advertising costs and an 11.5 percent increase in rent paid for County Office Building space. The County Executive recommends full funding of this request. ~ Mr. Bowie asked about the increase requi~ed for uniforms under the Employment Services cost center. He wanted tq know what kind of uniforms were to be funded. Ms. Morris said some jobs required special uniforms and shoes which were too expensive for clients to buy. Mr. Bowie asked if these uni- forms were purchased while employees were in ~raining or after they had been 58 March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 7) employed. Ms. Morris said uniforms were purchased in order fOr the emPloyees to get a job. Mr. Tucker said of the 49 participants in the Employee Services program, 15 are currently awaiting job placement. Thirteen registrants are already enrolled in an education or training program: eight are at Piedmont Virginia Community College, two are at the University of Virginia, one at the National Business College, one at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Center, and one is working on the GED at the Adult Education Center. Six of the partici- pants are already employed full-time; six are employed part-time. He said this program hasbeen very successful. Mr. Bowie said he would like to know how many participants from past years are still gainfully employed. Mr. Way asked about the considerable increase to help subsidize the day-care payments of working parents under Public Assistance. He wanted to know if it were difficult to find day-care providers. Msl Morris said it was hard finding day-care centers convenient to the workplacelof the parent. She said one of the goals of Social Services was to expand day-care centers throughout the County to make such care accessible to parents who worked in the County. Mr. Way asked whether the procedure for evaluating t~e various agencies had become impersonal: does the Program Review Committee!ibase its recommenda- tions largely on written correspondence between the agenc~ under review and the committee or is it still possible for members of the agencies to sit down and talk with the Committee members? Mr. Tucker addressed this question and reviewed the operation of the Program Review Committee fo~ Messrs. Bain and Perkins. He said members of the agency fill out applications, responding to an established set of criteria. The Committee, which is ~ade up of a member from the Social Services Department, the Education Department, the Planning Department and the County Executive's staff, then reviews~ scores and ranks the applications in terms of their need for funding. He ~aid that this year no members of any agency were actually interviewed. ~ Mr. Lindstrom then asked Mr. Tucker to explain the ldcal share formula. Mr. Tucker said not every agency uses the same local share formula, but every agency should have one, based on services and the populatiion who receives these services. Mr. Lindstrom asked if the same three-ti~¥ funding standard were used this year, in which an applicant receives a two ";~ercent increase if he meets one set of criteria, more money if he meets another set, and so on. Mr. Tucker said "no", sometimes agencies were recommended ~or funding even if they had a low ranking. Mr. Lindstrom said sometimes it Was not clear with this new approach why some agencies had scored so low. Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), Sherry Goggans, ~ Requested $26,087; Recommended $26,087. Mr. Tucker said the increase in the ~equest for funding is due primarily to inflationary costs plus the expansion pf the children's program; expanded outreach efforts to the North Garden/Cov~sville/Batesville area and the Free Union/Earlysville area. Fifty-two Count~ residents were admitted to the Shelter during FY 86-87, a 48 percent decrease under FY 1985-86. A total of 2400 people participated in the Shelter educational program. | The Program Review Committee recommends full funding ~or the Shelter for the following reasons. The Shelter ranked in the highest ~ategory of agencies as a result of a well-documented program description, compliance with the Comprehensive Plan, attention to cox~nents, quantification ~f data, and local share formula. The Committee also commends SHE for its co,unity education outreach efforts in the Crozet, Scottsville and Keswick ar~as, its efficient level of service and its success in securing private secto~funds for the new expanded facility. The Committee continues to support the~ilShelter's efforts to increase the level of funding from the four rural counties for their share of services. Revenues from the four outlying counties increased by 26 percent in 1987-88. Mr. Way asked why there was a 48 percent decrease in ~se and an increase in the funding requested. Mr. Tucker said the funding was .based on a two-year March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 8) formula: if the decrease continued, the level of funding would drop. Ms. Goggans said the Shelter has already admitted more families during the first eight months of this year than it had during all of last year. The Shelter has also admitted more families from the County than last year. She said the County is currently using 35 percent of the bed space in the Shelter. Currently, she said, County residents are receiving more service than any other jurisdiction the Shelter serves. Mr. Lindstrom asked if there were any adjustment in Shelter revenues or expenditures that was not included in the budget information presented to the County. Ms. Goggans said the only change she was aware of was an increase to fund the utilities and maintenance costs for the larger facility the agency was opening in the summer. Mr. Lindstrom said he believed there were other changes and he would like the agency to investigate this and, if he is right, to send the updated information to Mr. Tucker. Offender Aid & Restoration (OAR), Patricia Smith. Requested $22,980; Recommended $22,980. Mr. Tucker said the funding increase is due primarily to inflation. Increased services to families and the offender through the Transitional Services Program are planned. The Program Review Con~nittee recommends full funding for this program for the following reasons. OAR received a very high rating from the Committee. This rating was attributed to a very thorough application with high scores in program description, population data, reasonmbleness of request, and local share formula. The committee expects OAR to:;continue their efforts to obtain funding from adjoining localities. Ms. Smith said that OAR planned to expa~H its pre-trial services by another position, which would be funded by the State. Mr. Bowie asked if OAR worked with the Victim Witness Program duringl the pre-trial process. Although OAR is the advocate for the defendant and the! Victim Witness Program protects the victim, Ms. Smith said, the two agenciesiWork together during both the pre-trial and post-conviction processes, particularly in the case of restitu- tion to insure that the victim can collect from the defendant. She said that last year OAR collected over $12,000 from offenders and gave this money to the victims; during the first six months of this iyear, another $12,000 has been collected. Thomas Jefferson ]~mergency Medical Services (TJX), Brenda Barbour. Requested $5821; Recommended $5821. Mr. Tucker said this funding request represents a four percent increase over the present funding level. The proposed budget increase is due in part to the expansion of the Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team program, and the formation and publication of a monthly newsletter. The Program Review Committee recommends full funding because the agency ranked in the medium range under the review pvocess, scoring low in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan and in the moderate range for the remaining criteria. The Committee wishes to commend TJ~MS for its efforts to coordinate emergency medical services within the County 'And the entire Planning District and for the improvements in their funding application. Mr. Tucker said that the Committee did recommend that future applications contain at least an estimate of the fees to be collected during t~e year. Ms. Barbour said the fees were difficultito estimate because it was difficult to predict a year ahead of time how'imany people would request emergency training and first aid programs. ~or example, she was just informed that the County school system wantedla first aid training program for their teachers. Based on the fees collected during the past two years, she estimated that between $1500 and $2000 may beicollected during 1988-89. Mr. Bowie asked where this figure showed up in budget for TJEMS. Ms. Barbour replied that it did not show up in the budget~ Ms. Barbour said that OAR submitted a gr~nt on March 15, 1988, to the State division of Emergency Medical Service through Rescue Squad Assistance funding for assistance ($61,000) to fund the communications equipment at the 911 Center. ; 6O March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 9) Mr. Bowie said he was concerned that the $2000 in fees collected for emergency training programs was not recorded in the budget. Although the County's percentage of this is only $240, he said, he worries that larger sums of income may go unreported. Mr. Lindstrom agreed and said sometimes an agency may not realize the burden of accountability it accepts when it receives public funding. He suggested that a statement be attached to the applications which would emphasize the responsibility each agency had to the public trust. Staff Services, Ray Jones. Requested $783,570; Recommended $777,950. Mr. Jones said the overall .budget increase of 8.2 percent reflects a 7.3 percent increase in personnel costs due to the addition of a microfilm opera- tor and an 8.8 percent increase in operations due to the following significant increases and decreases: a net increase of $13,000 in repair and maintenance service agreement costs for several large maintenance projects at Court Square, the old jail complex and the County Office Building; an increase of $22,400 (13 percent)in electrical services due to the increased use of electricity to heat and air condition during Spring and Autumn months as recommended by the systems engineer; an increase of $22,000 (29 percent) in Fire Insurance; an increase of $750 (100 percent) in Veh~hle Insurance due to an additional vehicle assigned to the department; and, an increase of $775 (258 percent) in fuel/lubricants due to the addition of ~ new vehicle for the mailroom. The County Executive recommends full funding except :for the request to purchase a new mini-van for mail delivery. Based on the ~revised FY 1987-88 budget and the need, staff recommends that the van be pur.ehased in the current year. Mr. Perkins asked about the status of the self-insurance plan for County employees. Mr. Jones replied that staff is investigatingi':.the possibility of setting up a "risk-reserve" fund to cover cases of catastrophic illness in which a claim exceeds $100,000. Claims of less than $100:~000 may be covered by the employee. Mr. Jones said that the County no longe~ carries collision insurance on vehicles, which may be considered a form of ~.elf-insurance. Health Department, Dr. Susan McLeod. Requested $527,172; Recommended $438,610. Mr'. Tucker said the Thomas Jefferson Health Department requested an increase from the County of $121,052 (30 percent) over last year's appropria- tion to fund the conversion of part-time employees to full-time positions, and the salary of one health educator, previously funded by a tgrant. Although the total budget increase is 13 percent, the State share of f~nding is projected to increase by only nine percent. The County Executive recommends an eight percent increase in funding to match the increase proposed by the City. The Governor's ~udget proposal requested additional funds for the Department of Health tq convert these same part-time employees into full-time positions. Dr. Susan McLeod said the figures shown for the curr~nt year's budget were calculated before the 3.6 percent reduction in State tfunding the Health Department experienced in December, 1987. The Health Department cut this 3.6 percent by not filling recently vacated positions and cut~ing travel and training programs. Had each of the six local jurisdictior~s in this district not already given funding and allowed the Health Departmen~t to use this money, things would have been much worse. The Health Department .will not be getting the State funds that show up in the budget. She calculates that the Health Department may have about $25,000 less to operate in this ~rea. She then addressed the conversion of part-time employees to full-time. She said that the General Assembly had forbidden the practice of having employees work 80 percent or more of a full-time work weekl and earning the benefits associated with full-time status. She said the expense of converting the part-time employees to full-time may force the Department to cut some positions, decrease the amount of services and increase fees. She said there may be an additional source of revenue ~not listed in the budget. The General Assembly recently mandated fees for s~ptic tank and well March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 10) permits. The Health Department will also regulate more wells in the future. She estimates that this new mandate may bring in $40,000 in revenues. She said that the State considered these revenues when it cut its funding to the health departments. Region Ten Co,,~,,~unity Services, James Peterson. Requested $128,550; Recommended $128,550. Mr. Tucker said Region Ten's request funds the match requirement of ten percent to the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. The nine percent increase reflects personnel and health insur- ance increases. The Program Review Committee recox~endslfull funding of Region Ten for the following reasons. The agency ranked highly as a result of a well-docu- mented program description, compliance with ~he comprehensive plan, quantifi- cation of data and local share formula. The committee also commends Region Ten for its strong gains in achieving full compliance with the local share formula in other localities. For the first time, all localities are supplying funds based on this formula. Mr. Tucker said that Region Ten wanted to change the formula from one giving equal weight to population and services received. The proposed formula would add a third factor, the percentage distribution of the current actual shares weighted double. This change would moderate shifts in population and services, so that localities experiencing a Shift one year would not see a dramatic increase or decrease in requests from Region Ten. Mr~ Tucker said the Program Review Committee believes this formula would be an acceptable alternative. Mr. Tucker said that no additional loca~ funds will be needed to match the Governor's proposed budget increase for mental health services, should it be adopted by the legislature. Mr. Peterson ~said that Region Ten will request at least a ten percent match in funding for FY 1989-90. Based on the County's current share, this request should be for about $36,000 in new funds. Northwestern Virginia Health Systems (NWV]]SA), Peggy King. Requested $3903; Recommended $0. Mr. Tucker said the Northwestern Virginia Health Systems Agency (NWVHSA) is requesting $3903 from Albemarle County, which represents a contribution of $.06 cents per capita. Under present state law~ this funding will be matched dollar for dollar by the State. Their total budget ($113,696) will fund a full-time Executive Director, a full-time planner, a part-time bookkeeper and a part-time secretary. Based on prior decisions of the Board off,Supervisors not to allocate local funds to NWVHSA, funding is not recommended. Mr. Edward Manacur, President of NWVHSA,~addressed the Board. He said the State had increased its funding from six to nine cents per capita and removed the requirement for matching funds. Although the State has eliminated this requirement, it is funding the program at only one-half the 18 cents per capita estimated to operate this agency. A s~okesperson for the General Assembly said he would like to see local support for this program. Because of' this, Mr. Manacur said, he is coming back to ~he Board with the same request: six cents per capita. Historically, he said, localities in Virginia have had little experience dealing with health care and the health care System. The only channel through which local governments can influence the hearth care system is the Health System Agencies. Each local government is urged to appoint a representative to one of the Planning District advisory coundils. The Health System Agencies are also the only agencies who develop innovative ways to deliver health care to the citizens of this area. He said that he and Ms. King had just returned from meeting with representatives from the Statewide Health Coordinating Council and the State Health Department to rea~ch an agreement concerning the sharing of staff, volunteers and other resourdes in order to provide an integrated and coordinated system of health c~re for citizens of the five regions in Virginia. He said that before this: meeting, the State Health Department had tried to plan all health care fOnctions at the State level. The NWVHSA resisted this effort, arguing that State officials may not be 1 62 March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 11) familiar with the needs and problems of local citizens. He told the Board that its Comprehensive Plan recognized the importance of regional health planning and recommends that funding be considered for regional health plan- ning agencies. Mr. Way asked Ms. King to describe specific ways in ~hich the County would benefit from this program. Ms. King said one beneficial program was the subsidized in-home respite care program for dementia victims she tried as a pilot program in the County. Mr. Lindstrom asked if this program would take place if the County did not fund the request. Ms. King said her agency could not continue these pilot programs, which the County has benefitted from without paying anything simply because the NWVHSA office is located in the County. Mr. Way asked what the agency was doing now for the County. Ms. King replied that she was reviewing $14 million worth of projects intended for the County. There is also a $42 million project underway to provide for the expansion and modernization of Martha Jefferson Hospital. There is an $11 million dollar expansion planned for Mountainwood,~ a 60-bed substance abuse facility. There is also an innovative financing system u~derway at a 29-bed nursing home in Post University Retirement Community. They are trying a special group long-term care insurance policy. When a person buys a residen- tial unit, part of the monthly service fee goes toward the insurance policy. Every resident automatically becomes a policy holder and ~nsured for up to four years of nursing home care. Mr. Manacur said that these and other projects would continue regardless of whether the County met the funding request. Ms. King said if the County did not meet this re, quest, NW~SA would no longer support the lead agency for the Long-Term Health~ Care Coordinating Council for Planning District Ten. Nor would the agency gzant any requests for health care data from the County without assessing a fee. She also said that the agency might move its office and try out its pilQt programs somewhere else. ~i Engineering, Robert Tucker. Requested $354,947; Rec~..mmended $333,262. Mr. Tucker said the overall budget increase of 15 percent ~.~eflects an eight percent increase in operating costs and an 18 percent increase in personnel. The major increase in operating costs is due to increased .~electrical services. The increased personnel costs reflect the proposed new pos~ition, Soil Erosion Control Officer. Other significant increases and decrease~ include: a decrease of $8500 (52 percent) in consultant services to ~flect current preliminary survey and design study needs; an increase of !300 (50 percent) in repair and maintenance due to a needed overhaul of the department's transit; an increase of $5000 (10 percent) in electrical services d~e to the five percent-Virginia Power increase, plus operating funds for projects in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and inst. new street lights that are not in the CIP; an increase of .. vehicle equipment to purchase four snow tires; an increase~ percent) in fuel costs due to anticipated increase in site tions; and, an increase of $2200 to replace a secretarial and one executive desk ($600). :treet light ~llation funds for 210 (35 percent) in of $4600 (60 development inspec- ~ork station ($1600) The County Executive recommends funding the requestedlbudget with the exception of full funding for electrical services, travel ~nd consultants, a total reduction of $15,000. Requests for new and replacement furniture and data processing equipment and software were recommended fo~ purchase in the current year ($6685). ' Mr Bowie noted that this request was 37 percent higher than was actually spent b~ the Engineering Department during FY 1986-87. He'and Mr. Tucker agreed to go over this budget. · Refuse Disposal. Requested $1,361,260; Reco~ended $5'51,260. Mr. Tucker said that FY 1988-89 should be the last complete year for ~peration of the Keene Landfill. A 7.13 percent decrease from last year's ~hdget will provide initial closure of various filled portions of the landfill. A transfer station or collection site is being planned for Keene once the landfill is closed. The refuse collected at the transfer station will be transported to the Ivy landfill. March 25, 1988 (Afternoon Adjourned Meeting) (Page 12) 63 The Ivy landfill budget has been separated into capital and operational costs. The capital costs, approximately $600,000, will be shown in the CIP for the construction of a new disposal cell and vinyl lining of the cell now required by State and Federal regulations. The $470,000 shown here reflects the County's share of the operating budget for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the landfill. This budget is based on the need to initiate a tipping fee for all inert materials (construction/demolition debris, brush, etc.) This is due to the increasing costs of operating landfills today, which can be attributed to more stringent State and Federal regulations (the cost of operating this landfill has increased by 57 percent from 1983 to 1987). These regulations also create the need for a more technically skilled manager to supervise landfill operations. The County Executive recon~nends the separation of funds into the CIP and operating budget as suggested. Mr. Tucker said that a tipping fee of $1.50 per ton was proposed. He said such a fee would generate around $250,000 per year. He said that much of the construction debris was coming to the landfill from development at the University. Those contractors will now have to pay for their use of the landfill. Mr. Way asked if the Board would soon be receiving information about the transfer station. He said that there is a lot of concern in Keene about this transfer station; people would like to know where it's going to be and what it's going to be. He does not want the County to wait until the landfill is full before deciding where to put the transfer station; he feels this might be too hasty. Mr. Tucker replied that the landfill would not be full for at least a year. He said that a site was being ~surveyed. From the data col- lected during the survey, staff would develop a site plan which would minimize the impact of the transfer station upon the environment and the people who live there. Agenda Item No. 5. Other Matters not Listed on the Agenda from the Board or Public. ~ Mr. Lindstrom asked that the Clerk extract from the minutes suggestions of the Board members and collect these in a '~tickler file" to insure that staff will remember and follow up on these s~ggestions. Mr. Agnor replied that the Clerk compiles and distributes a memo after each Board meeting detailing both formal requests of the Board ~nd more informal comments and suggestions. Mr. Bain asked if there were a joint committee working on the problem of refuse disposal in the area. Mr. Agnor said ithat the County had applied jointly with the City for a state grant to study the Ivy landfill and recy- cling. As soon as the results of the study a~e in, staff plans to approach the University to participate. Agenda Item No. 6. Executive Session Personnel. At 5:15 P.M., motion was offered by Mr. Bain and seconded by Mr. P&rkins to recess into executive session for the stated purpose. There was nolfurther discussion. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Messrs. Bain, Bowie, Lindstrom, Perkins and Way. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mrs. Cooke. The Board reconvened into open session at 5:20 P.M. March 25, 1988 (AfternoOn Adjourned Meeting) (Page 13) Agenda Item No. 7. Adjourn to March 28, 1988, at 1:00 P.M. Motion was offered by Mr. Bain and seconded by Mr. Lindstrom to adjourn to 1:00 P.M., March 28, 1988. There was no further discussion. Roll was called and the motion carried by the following recorded vote: AYES: Messrs. Bain, Bowie, Lindstrom, Perkins and Way. NAYS: None. ABSENT: Mrs. Cooke.